About us
Welcome to your new local community dedicated to exploring all things psychedelics!
While we establish the group, its identity, and what we hope to gain collectively, I'll be treating Guelph Psychedelic Society (GPS) as a hybrid book club/general Meetup group dedicated to creating a safe space for curious minds to explore the psychedelic space from an intellectual and exploratory lens. We may explore some aspects of spirituality as it relates to the focus of each specific discussion, so take this as it resonates and kindly leave what doesn't.
Some Meetups may include various YouTube videos, articles, and/or other materials for us to engage with, opposed to strictly sticking to the typical book club format. We may even pick a film or two to use as the basis for our discussions (the world is our oyster, as they say). I'm open to collaborating, so feel free to message me if you have any thoughts and/or suggestions!
For now, we will meet roughly once a month, typically the last Saturday morning of the month at the Red Brick Cafe in downtown Guelph. Meetups may become more frequent depending on interest/how the group develops.
I'm looking forward to connecting with fellow psychonauts and anyone + everyone psychedelic-curious! Hope to meet you soon :)
Upcoming events
1
THE DOORS OF PERCEPTION (1954) by Aldous Huxley
Red Brick Cafe (Downtown), 8 Douglas Street, Guelph, ON, CA"Half an hour after swallowing the drug, I became aware of a slow dance of glowing lights..."
Among the most profound explorations of the effects of mind-expanding drugs ever written, here are two complete classic books — 'The Doors of Perception' and 'Heaven and Hell' — in which Aldous Huxley, author of the bestselling 'Brave New World,' reveals the mind's remote frontiers and the unmapped areas of human consciousness. This new edition also features an additional essay, "Drugs That Shape Men's Minds," which is now included for the first time.
(taken from the back cover)
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ahoy folks. so i think i've figured out my angle for the group, at least for the next few months. we'll alternate between reading a classic psychedelic text (think Aldous Huxley, Alan Watts, Ram Dass, Terence McKenna, etc) one month, followed by some form of alternating media (movies/TV shows/comics).
having journeyed through HOW TO CHANGE YOUR MIND back in June (the quintessential beginner's text to psychedelics), we'll go back in time to experience one of the earliest detailed accounts of one's descent into madness, THE DOORS OF PERCEPTION (1954) by the late great Aldous Huxley.
Huxley embarked on his first psychedelic experience by ingesting mescaline (the active ingredient found in peyote) and recorded the experience. much to his initial discomfort, upon spending more time with the substance, Huxley discovered a world he never knew existed. with his senses and mental perception exceptionally heightened, what Huxley discovered is, well, incredibly accurate based on my own experiences (with psilocybin, not mescaline).
in a way that only Huxley can articulate, we the readers have been blessed with not only the eloquent ramblings of a mad genius, but one of early non-fictions most daring and delightful journeys into expanded human consciousness. i hope you'll join me for this easy yet enlightening read down the winding rabbit holes of both the human mind and spirit.
we'll meet on Saturday, August 22 at 10am at the Red Brick Cafe for our discussion of THE DOORS OF PERCEPTION.
while there aren't any copies available at the Guelph Public Library, you can find the book at most retailers (including The Bookshelf and Janus Books downtown).
you can also read the book for free here: https://ia600605.us.archive.org/15/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.68115/2015.68115.The-Doors-Of-Perception-And-Heaven-And-Hell.pdf
happy reading!
3 attendees
Past events
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